2015 - My Year of Zen - (still)
August 2015
MY BIRTH-MONTH (better known as - my month of hiking!)
This week, my birth
week, Jim was on the road. Understand that when Jim is on the road for any length of time, it's important for me to have a "project" or a "goal". Sometimes it may be to clean my sock drawer, sometimes it may be to reorganize the basement... (you get the picture). This week I chose to continue my goal to be outdoors as much as possible before winter. I am not a winter person so I tend to stay indoor during the winter.
I decided that each night I would do a hike after work. I love to hike, the weather has been perfect and it's a good way for me to get exercise and breathe fresh air.
What started out as a simple goal for myself turned into a very interesting week.
I decided to hike someplace different each night. I had to calculate the time I could get out of work and how long the hike was. Although it's still officially summer, sunset is getting earlier and earlier.
After a week of being in a different place each evening, I realized I had different things I wanted to share on each location.
Below is a synopsis of each day and location. EAch of them were a blast in their own way!
Day 1 - Sunday - Queeny Park - the day Jim leaves. I don't want to hike before he leaves so I wait until I can say my goodbyes and then drown my sorrows in the woods. I wanted someplace close to home, peaceful and someplace that would get my heart rate going a little without a full blown cardio workout. Queeny Park it is!
I began hiking Queeny in the spring and immediately fell in love with it. Within the first quarter mile you are tasked with climbing a hill that definitely gets your cardio going. At least mine. I have learned to tie the trails together to get anywhere from a 4 mile hike to a 12 mile hike. Love this place. If someone wanted to do a lighter hike, this can also be done at Queeny. The big hill is not a requirement. As for views, you can see forest, trees, wildlife galore (deer, skunk, groundhog, snake, etc) . If you do the 4+ mile trail you will be in the woods for part of the hike and in the sun for part of the hike. The trail is used by bikers, hikers, joggers, dog walkers and horses. Tennis shoes are appropriate 90% of the time. Hiking boots are better if there has been wet weather. I'm sure hiking boots will be better during the winter also but don't know for sure since I haven't hiked there during the winter........ yet. You will be on dirt on gravel 95% of the time . Great place. It has become my "go to" hiking place for both short and long hikes and I would highly recommend it to anyone for walking, hiking or trail riding.
Day 2 - Monday - Rockwood Reservation - getting to Rockwood during rush hour is annoying. The last turn onto Allenton Rd is the saving grace. You immediately go into the woods and the winding, curving roads. I turn off the air in the car and roll down the windows. I've only been to Rockwood once before so I want to mix it up a little and not do the same trail I did before. I chose to do the Trail Between the Trees and a portion of the Lime Kiln Loop Trail. Stunning! Loved it! Part of the trail I had hiked before but my previous hike was at the end of winter so everything looked completely different. Great trail! I did not see any trail bikers but a lot of dog walkers.
Day 3 - Tuesday - Castlewood State Park - Castlewood is another of my "close to home" favorite places. The only trail I have walked is the River Scene Trail. I'm sure there are others that are very nice trails but the views of the river and the workout of the River Scene Trail is what I enjoy. The trail begins UP.... and UP. It immediately gives you a VERY good cardio workout. The benefit is before you ever get to the top, the views begin. Spectacular views! There are various places on the way up that have vantage points overlooking the river. The hike goes along the ridge overlooking the river and the train track. I have never been there when a train didn't go by. It's actually quite cool. But the, you have to get DOWN the mountain. How does one do that on the River Scene Trail? Stairs. A lot of them. They lead straight down to the river. You get to the bottom, walk through a short train tunnel and you walk out to the river. Very cool! The rest of the hike is basically flat and along the river. It is very peaceful. A few trail riders that share the path with the pedestrians but very peaceful. The trail ends very close to where I park so it ends very peacefully. Note: I have been there on a Saturday during the Spring and it is annoyingly crowded.
Day 4 - Wednesday - Greensfelder - I didn't have a long time frame for hiking but I wanted to get in the woods. There is a supposed 2.75 mile hike. Well, it's actually longer than that but that was good for me. Deer Run Trail. Drawbacks: Almost the first 1/2 of the hike is along the road. And the road is used. One minute you are walking along a nice little trail and the next minute you have a car whizzing by. But then, the trail turns. The woods take over. My favorite story of my hike is a deer story. I am hiking along in an area that is basically dirt. So it's very quiet. You can hear the squirrels running around gathering nuts for the winter but that about the only sound. Suddenly I hear a snap, crunch, pop. I look up and see an absolutely beautiful buck. I look down at the ground and begin talking to him very quietly. "Hi Buddy. What would you like me to do? Should I stay here and let you walk away or should I keep walking? I'm not going to hurt you. " He is looking straight up me so I am only glancing up at him every few seconds. I take a couple steps forward, he snorts loudly and hops a couple hops away, stops and looks back at me. His horns are not fully grown but he looks like at least an 8 pointer. I continue talking softly and start walking past him. I am so very close to him. He poses and lets me take a couple photos. Then I decide to start walking. I walk very softly and talk very smoothly to him as I walk past. He just watches. He doesn't move, he doesn't snort. Nothing. He just lets me keep walking. I was so happy.
The next cool think was a biker that went by. This is a very small trail. I'm walking along and I hear the spinning whir of a trail bike coming up behind me. I stop and step off the trail. I turn and let the rider pass. As he passes, he smiles and says, "I'm riding alone, no one behind me. Have a great hike!" WOW. How polite and how friendly. I am really beginning to see trail manners.
The last part of the trail goes up. A lot. It turns out to be a much better trail than I expected and as long as you have bug spray, you will truly enjoy it! (yes, I forgot bug spray and ended up with chiggers. Ugh.)
Day 5 - Thursday- Creve Coeur
Always one of my favorites even though it is four miles of flat. Well, until today. Gail and Jill had both told me about the "stairs" they climb for exercise. I've never been able to find them. Until this week. The really good part was - I found them. The really bad part was - I had already walked four miles when I found them. Over 210 stairs. GREAT workout. I will do them again soon.
As for the hike around the lake. I love it. Sometimes it gets a bit crowded but it's always a great walk. On Saturday mornings there is a very large man that roller blades around the lake. He has poles he uses (as if he were skiing) and he sings at the top of his lungs! It's fantastic! I've looked him up on the internet but can't really find anything. Only that others have witnessed it.
As I said, this is one of my favorites. Watching the sailboats, kayaks and stand up boards on the lake is so relaxing.
Day 6 - Friday - Meramec Greenway
My Birthday. I needed something close to home because I was trying to cram too many things into one day. I took off work early though which helped. I have not been down to the Meramec since it flooded a few months ago. Things look pretty much the same but I definitely notices some differences. There are so cleared out views of the river that weren't previously there. And you can see through the woods easier.
It was hiking mid-afternoon so it was not busy at all. However, I did realize I should not wear a shirt that says "I hike to burn off the crazy" to trails that are so public. People either look at you funny, look away when they realize what it says or try to hide a smile. Oh well! :-)
It was a great hike. You can turn it into a 10 mile hike if you hop across Marshall to Simpson Park so it's a really good option that's close to home.
Day 7 - Saturday - Queeny Park
Last day. I was supposed to do seven different places. And I started to. But then I realized I just really wanted to hike Queeny again. I love it. The trails. The people. The views. The wildlife. Within the first mile you have to hike up a very steep hill that still almost kills me every time. It's a great way to get my heart beating right at the start. I normally see people unloading their horses to get ready for a ride and they are always friendly. The next part of the trail leads you through a very wooded area with hills. It runs parallel to Mason Rd but you can only see the road or the cars for a very short period of time. Up and down. I have to pay attention not to step on a rock and twist my knee. Tennis shoes are normally fine but their have been a couple times after a rain that I was glad I had my boots. I often see deer on this part of the trail. It's very quiet and peaceful.
The next part of the trail goes through more open areas. There are horse jumping obstacles (although I've never seen any horses jumping them) that look beautiful out in the fields. During the spring, it is very nice walking through this area to let the sun warm you up.
Next, you are back in the woods. Another great place for dear sightings and mushroom sightings.
The final part of the loop that I do is back out in the open and then down to the road and parking area. I normally stop at the car and get a drink of water, turn around and do the loop the opposite way. It's funny how you can see different things going a different direction.
There are many paths in this park and you can turn it into a VERY long day of hiking if you would like.
SUMMARY
So, that was my week of hiking. I'm giving myself a few days off since we did a 20 mile Moonlight Ramble on Saturday night. Then I'll be back at it! I HIKE TO BURN OFF THE CRAZY! :-)
#ilovetohike
Some of my favorites of the week...
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